Young Guns @ Camden Barfly 09/07/10

This was a bit of a funny one really....

Thanks to my amazing addiction to Twitter, (and the fact I'd been stalking All Time Low all day) I found out Young Guns had a relatively small album preview just around the corner from where I work. So I worked my Twitterific magic and managed to get on the guest list.
It was a pretty good show. Having never really been to an album preview before, it's pretty much just that; a room full of about 80 people sat on the floor of the Barfly and just listened to the album as it played through the speakers into the room. Accompanied by a few pints of beer then a short acoustic set from the band of songs taken from the new album made for quite a nice, relaxing evening. Considering I'd heard of them, but had to admit to myself that I didn't know any of their songs, they came across as quite a promising new act, and halfway through the set singer Gus held up a new copy of Kerrang! magazine, their picture emblazoned on the front, which caused massive cheers. After, I got my paws on some pretty signed artwork from the band and then made my way home.
Short, sweet and relaxing.

Pete Firman - Edinburgh Preview: Hen & Chickens Theatre 11/06/10

I stumbled upon Pete Firman purely by accident. I went to a charity comedy evening a little while ago, headlined by the legendary Russell Howard. Pete was one of the many warm up acts that appeared on the bill, only he somehow managed to stick in my mind after I'd left. Whether it was because his short but sweet set was full of hilarity and rather odd tricks or because he looked a bit like Russell Kane (a lot) who I willing admit to having a bit of a crush on, we will never know.
However, I decided to check him out at his own show in London's Hen and Chickens Theatre. It was the preview for his Edinburgh show so my expectations were high; it was a tiny little venue, probably only about 30 seats, and the stage was just the floor space in front. I can honestly say it was the most intimate show I have ever been to!
The show was spectacular, Pete came out brimming with confidence as he greeted his audience in his strong Northern voice. His tricks were executed flawlessly and with perfect comic timing. I will admit to having a secret love of magic and I was actually a little bit giddy with excitement. Without giving too much of it away for those of you traveling to Edinburgh to see him. There was stolen money, cakes made out of a shoe, and even poor Pete being shot in the face with a paintball gun by an unsuspecting member of the audience. Overall, it was an hour of fun, laughter and amazement. No one failed to be captivated by Pete's charms and incredible level of technical ability in magic.
It made me want to go out and buy every magic book in existence.

ALIVE!!!

Hi...
I'm still alive, just about.

I have recently returned from T in the Park, in not so sunny Balardo, Scotland.
After an unexpected extra day in Dunfermline, ahem, I'm just finishing off my review, so expect that soon...Also, I catch up with feisty rockers Young Guns at their album preview show, and I pay magical comedian Pete Firman a visit in his special Edinburgh preview 'Jokes and Tricks'...Pant wettingly funny!

J x

Celebrity Spotting

Also, I forgot to mention the massive abount of celebrities that were spotted last night:
Robert Pattinson
Zane Lowe
The Cribs
Coldplay
Carl Barat
Luke Pritchard, Kooks
The Horrors

The Strokes @ Dingwalls, Camden 09/06/10

The Strokes return after 4 years of solo projects, new bands and babies

The Strokes, quite literally exploded at Dingwalls in Camden last night, in what was their first live show in 4 years.

450 sweaty fans, industry bosses, celebrities and a very lucky me, crammed themselves inside the tiny venue to catch a glimpse of a band that usually sells out world wide arena tours. It’s hardly surprising that the few tickets available sold out in seconds.

The band, despite not having any new songs in their set, completely owned the stage and sent the fans crazy, proving that despite their absence, they're still one of the most influential bands of the last 10 years.

Security was tight around the venue. Overexcited fans tried to push their way in on hearing the music from inside and as people without tickets tried to shove their way through the barriers, big muscley security guards had to force large groups back to let latecomers in.

Playing hit after hit after hit was the aim of the band last night, a not-so-subtle reminder that they're still around, and to break the news that fans can expect new material from the band next spring.

Stand out songs were Juicebox, Last Night and Reptillia - which caused the biggest stir of the evening by far. After a short break, the band came on for their encore and performed a further 5 or 6 songs, before saying their thank you’s and disappearing off the stage.

By this point the venue was boiling, filled to capacity, sweat was literally pouring from the ceiling onto the screaming fans below. Not that they cared. As they filtered out there was talk from a lot of people saying that was probably the best gig of their life, and I wouldn’t want to disagree with them.

Now completely ready for their set at the Isle of Wight festival this weekend, the band will no doubt continue to thrill and amaze us, and I for one cannot wait to here what's next on offer from them.

Red Stripe music awards

Red Stripe music awards, headlined by the View @ Heaven 28/04/10

Heaven played host to the Red Stripe Music Awards 2010, which featured a whole host of new talent as well as a headline slot from Scottish band The View.
After hundreds of gigs played around the country in many different venues, the final group of bands were cut down to just four, who made it to the London finals to battle out as champions.
The winner of the competition wins a prestigious slot at the Great Escape festival, the leading festival for new music.
The four finalists were; The Laurel Collective, Come On Gang!, Hold Fast and Patrick James Pearson, and they all gave their very best shot at the prize. But after a great night Laurel Collective were crowned the winners, and personally I think they were the best band overall. They were presented with their prize, as well as many free cans of Red Stripe by last year’s winner Ben Howard.
As the four bands left the stage, the crowd and the Laurel Collective, who are now very happy and getting very drunk settle down to watch headliners The View. The Scottish band have been out of the spotlight for some time, but with a fantastic second album under their belt, the band are back in true force. Playing mostly new tracks, with a sprinkle of old ones the fans whooped and cheered the guys on until it was time to go home.
Overall, a good night, the best band won the competition and the headliners were a real treat!

Elliot Minor

Elliot minor @ Relentless garage 13/04/10

Elliot Minor have always been one of those bands who I never really liked. I don’t mean that in a horrible way, just that I never really paid much attention to them in the same way I might other bands. However as I waited for them to come onstage at the relentless garage in London, surrounded by, let’s just say a lot of people younger than me, I had something of an epiphany. Counting all of the great songs they’ve had on my fingers I realise that actually this band have had a lot of damn good songs, and suddenly I’ve found myself quite excited.
They jumped onstage with a considerable amount of enthusiasm and smashed out hits such as ‘The White One Is Evil’, and ‘Parallel Worlds’, as well as a handful of brand new tracks. As the gig was in full swing I felt myself being won over by the York quintet, who excited the crowd with every song.
The highlight for me though, and probably a lot of other people as well was the cover the band did of Owl City’s ‘Fireflies’, and it was unbelievably stunning. If I wasn’t won over before, then this track really impressed me to the point where I actually decided that I might be turning into an Elliot Minor fan!
After the gig, the band came and hung out with a few fans before leaving; a really nice bunch of guys who really know how to perform, and even managed to convert me into a supporter!

Why I hate X Factor...So very very much

X Factor? More like Z factor: A plea to the sane television producers out there...

Dear top ITV bosses, please make this year’s X factor as quick and as painless as possible. Unlike last year’s, which was about 2 months of crying, laughing, screaming and homophobic jokes (and that was just Danni). As well as badly mimed performances by Cheryl Cole on the night of the final, and a failed attempt at getting I-can’t-even-remember-who, to number one. This was incidentally won by metal band Rage against the Machine with single ‘Killing in the Name Of’ in a Facebook campaign whose main aim was to try and topple the might that is the X Factor. More like the zzz Factor. They didn’t really put up much of a fight did they? In the end Rage were the clear winners with something like 40,000 more sales.

So what can we expect to find on this year’s X Factor? A heavily pregnant Danni, giving birth during the live final maybe? That would certainly make interesting television, or Simon Cowell admitting live on air that his abnormally square head is due to getting it stuck in a vice during woodwork at school. Either way I certainly do not have high hopes for this year. Producers of the show need to realise that unless they change something (or my favourite idea, cancel the show altogether), viewing figures will start to drop, as we have already seen the record sales do. The idea of the show is to turn ordinary people into pop stars, a feat that has failed many times over the years; Leon Jackson, Steve Brookstein, Michelle McManus? Know who these people are? Didn’t think so, but they are all winners of either the X Factor or its former show Popstars. 41 year old Steve is now back singing in his local pub after being dropped by his record label; you can just imagine him sitting next to the elderly locals telling them, ‘I’m off the telly you know.’ And after appearing in various glossy magazines after her dramatic weight loss, people have forgotten that Michelle McManus is even a singer! A television show that has lost its way? I definitely think so.

It has the same design every year; mix together a bunch of deluded singers whose biggest fan is their mum, and you have the auditions. Then add the absolute no hopers, the weirdoes, the comic relief, the angry loser, the sob story, the person who may actually win and the one Simon Cowell wants to sleep with (tall, tanned, massive breasts, long dark hair). Mix in some cliché abuse from the judges, and some pointless remarks from Danni and you have the live finals. Cue the excited final, the British public go mad, ringing off the hook for their favourite loser. And you end up with a wannabe pop star, which is kind of what they were at the beginning, only now they have a record label that will drop them in 6 months and a guaranteed lifetime spot doing panto every year in Coventry or Plymouth.

Someone once said to me, “You might not like it, but 8.5 million people watched the live final last year.” To which I smiled, and casually pointed out, “Yeah, but there was 50 million who didn’t.”

And...

Just for reading all that heavy journalistic stuff, here is something a little bit more light hearted...

Bauer Declares War on Freelances

Bauer music magazines declare war on freelances

Magazine group Bauer are facing a standoff with their 200 freelance music writers and photographers, over a new contract that sees them sign away all copyright.
The document that can be seen in the Press Gazette applies to Kerrang! Q and Mojo, and outlines how freelances are being made to sign away their copyright but still take full responsibility for any legal action that may be taken against them. The NUJ believes this would leave freelance writers completely on their own to face legal action, and many of the writers and photographers are calling this new contract 'unfair'.
Bauer wants to introduce a new contract that,
"Removes copyright and all financial, legal and moral rights from freelances while simultaneously requiring that they provide Bauer with an unlimited lifetime financial indemnity in the event of legal action arising from their work."
They also encourage freelances to, "acquire licenses from their subjects for the company to use their image for its own profit as and when it wishes."
This means that Bauer would have the right to sell the stories or photographs to whoever they want to, without having to make reference to the writers, photographers or even the subjects of the work. The covering letter, sent with the contract to over 200 journalists issues an ultimatum; after April 16th 2010, if the contributors do not sign, they will no longer be commissioned.
The three music magazines involved rely heavily on contributions from freelances so it comes as no surprise that nearly all of the 200 contributors are refusing to sign the contract, being described as 'foolish', 'malicious', and an 'unprovoked and pointless declaration of war on freelancers.'
The three magazines are the first former Emap titles on which Bauer are imposing their new contract; however Managing Director of Bauer’s music titles, Stuart Williams confirmed the company are looking to extend into the other magazines Bauer bought from Emap. Some of which include, Empire, Heat, Closer, Grazia, Match!, FHM and Zoo.
Since a few contributors sent a letter of objection to Bauer the company have told freelances that there will be no further amendments to the contract and the April 16th deadline is final. As a result Bauer now face losing most of its best known music writers and photographers including Q contributing editors Billy Bragg, Miranda Sawyer and John Harris; as well as former Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan and former Mojo editors Mat Snow and Paul Trynka. Iggy pop biographer Trynka says, "Their behaviour is bizarre and counter productive." And acclaimed photographer Kevin Westenberg said,
"You’ll either have to sign the contract – signing copyright away; sign and be a slave – or not work for them again. I already decided not to sign a long time ago. Never give your rights away. This is your legacy."
The general mood amongst the music freelances is that what Bauer is trying to do is far more than just attack a specific group of music writers and photographers, what they are doing undermines the value of freelance journalism as a whole. It is no secret that being a freelance journalist is tough, and it comes with a number of risks. As well as having a fluctuating income they have to pay for their own equipment, come up with their own office space and training, without any of the statutory sick pay, maternity leave and holiday pay granted to regular staff. What Bauer seem to be doing is all rather odd; do they think that by forcing out all the best journalists they will sell more magazines? From a business point of view it doesn't make a lot of sense.

The Digital Economy Bill

The Digital Economy Bill

We've all heard about the digital economy bill. Despite its quick and quite frankly 'hush hush' passage into British law, you may have heard of it without really understanding it and what it means for you. If you have never illegally downloaded a song off the internet, or played on a gory video game, then there's nothing for you to worry about, but the chances are you have. So here is our run down of the digital economy bill and what it means for you...

The digital economy bill has been passed into law during what is often called the 'wash-up' period. This is where outstanding legislation is rushed through before a general election. The bill covers various aspects of our lives from local television provision and video games ratings, to the powers Ofcom have and how internet domain names are registered in the UK.

What is it? The digital economy bill is a broad selection of legislation aimed at bringing Britain into the 'digital age’; it follows proposals published in June 2009. The bill will touch on many parts of our digital ways of life, but it's the illegal file sharing that has grabbed the most media attention. Measures are being introduced that have been designed to stop illegal file-sharing. This is basically a long and boring set of instructions on how to deal with net piracy.

Why is this controversial? Persistent file-sharers may be disconnected from their internet and copyright holders will be given the power to block access to websites hosting illegal content. It has also caused quite a stir with the politicians, many say the bill has been rushed through, and there are concerns about how this will affect public Wi-Fi services. Universities and libraries have also become worried.

What does this mean for me? In theory, if you do not upload or download copyrighted content, these plans should not affect you at all. But there are an estimated 6 million people in the UK who do, so you must be out there somewhere. If you do download illegally then the government and creative industries hope these new measures will encourage you to use legal services.

Why and when are these measures being brought in? The government has expressed its wishes to protect the UK’s creative industries, which it says is under a threat from piracy. It is more than likely that these measures will be introduced in 2012 if agreed upon. There will be a trial period of a year, and after the 12 months there will be a review. If illegal downloads fail to fall by at least 70% Ofcom will be asked whether more serious measures, such as temporarily suspending internet service or limiting the speed are needed.

Why do people oppose the bill? MP’s from all parties have expressed concern that the laws have not gotten enough debate and were rushed through parliament. Campaigners against the bill say it will not work and only drive illegal file sharing underground. Also Google is concerned that blocking websites may also cause legitimate sites to be blocked as well and some ISP’s are saying that they do not wish to become the internet police.

How will I be detected? The responsibility will lie with the content holders tracking you down, although ISP’s will bear some of the cost. They plan to monitor certain websites which offer links to copyright content and then grab your IP address.

Will this actually work? The music industry hopes so, but a lot of people are sceptical. More persistent file sharers are already using software that masks your IP address, and the files being sent are encrypted. But it’s not really being aimed at the technically advanced minority, it’s aimed more at the majority, which is the teenagers who do it because they can, and think they’re going to get away with it. The government hope the threat of being watched will make them stop.

Motion City Soundtrack 26/03/10

Review of Motion City Soundtrack plus support @ Camden Electric Ballroom 26/03/10

Motion City Soundtrack first appeared in 2004 supporting Blink 182. Four albums later and a whole hoard of followers, the band are back for a UK wide tour, and we caught up with them in Camden’s famous Electric Ballroom.
With support from Jenny Owen Youngs and Free Energy failing to really engage the crowd from the start, expectation was high as MCS took to the stage.
With a look of excitement and confidence as they walk out onto the stage, you can really see how MCS have grown together over the years. The band really knows their audience, kicking off the set with ‘Worker Bee’, before catapulting into a fantastic performance of ‘The Future Freaks Me Out’ to enthusiastic screams from the crowd below.
Despite its early show time, (we all got chucked out at 9.45pm!) the fans were kicking, jumping and air punching their way through every single song the band played. The set was carefully constructed, and had a perfect mix of old and new material. With songs from debut release 'I Am The Movie’, ‘Commit This To Memory' and new album 'My Dinosaur Life' the show was perfectly balanced, whether you were a new MCS fan or an old one.
Without a doubt the most magical moment of the evening was when Justin Pierre delivered a stunning version of ‘Even If It Kills Me’. The ballroom was silent, except for Pierre’s beautiful vocals, and when the chorus kicked in, the crowd exploded, knowing they’d witnessed something a bit special.
Coming back on for one final encore, the band finished off the set in true form with smash hit ‘Everything is Alright’. The fans were jumping and crowd surfing all over the place, knowing quite well that the band could sell out larger venues if they wanted to. The audience left, tired and sweaty, but knowing that seeing them in such an intimate venue is part of what makes it magical.

Ellie Goulding and Passion Pit 11/03/10

Review of Ellie Goulding and Passion Pit @ HMV forum 11/03/10

It was an exciting night for all who turned up at the HMV forum, with performances from BBC’s ‘Sound of 2010’, Ellie Goulding, and Massachusetts electro band Passion Pit.
After the successful release of the bands first full-length studio album Manners, it came as no surprise to hear that the night was a total sell out.
Ellie was a fine support act; I can’t say I’m a massive fan of hers if I’m being really honest. I find her music way to overproduced, and if she doesn’t want to be categorized as another indie pop princess, then standing on stage banging a drum with one hand while dressed in skinny jeans really isn’t helping her image.
Her set was at best watchable, and I admit I did sing along slightly when she played Starry Eyed, but apart from that I was bored by the songs I didn’t know, which was unfortunately most of them. She’s a good enough artist in her own right, and her fans absolutely adored her, but putting her on before an incredibly powerful band like Passion Pit is never a good idea.
Passion Pit, taking to the stage was like a breath of fresh air. In a world of overproduced electro-pop, they somehow still manage to sound new and fresh. Their set was visually stunning, the light show, combined with Michael Angelakos’ falsetto-shrieking vocals was simply magical. The band are quite simply a party band, they’re hyperactive, full of energy as they dance around the stage, and what is most important, they look like they’re actually having fun. There are far too many indie bands that look miserable as sin all the time these days, they need to cheer up! As for the audience, there was not a single member who was sitting down, nor was there a single person who wasn’t singing when the band burst into their current single Little Secrets. And when the show was finished every last member of the crowd was left literally begging for more...Quite truly a stunning show.

Illegal Downloading

Illegal downloading...let’s face it; we all do it, some just more than others. But while the innocent fifteen year old with not much in the way of pocket money just wants to listen to her favourite band, another suited 30-something is making a fortune out of selling pirated DVD’s. Who would you say is the guiltier of the 2? Well, as figures show 6 million of us are illegally downloading our music every year, and a staggering 95% of all music downloaded in the UK is apparently pirated. In 2008 alone it’s estimated that 40 billion music files were illegally shared, which comes at a loss that runs into billions of dollars for the music business. So it’s no surprise that industry bosses are now literally shaking in their designer suits. With the problem seemingly growing each year industry professionals and artists are desperately scrambling for ways to try and stop people stealing their music.
So far punishments have ranged from the harmless warning letters to astronomically high cost lawsuits, and even the suspension of people’s internet usage. But as of yet nothing really ‘official’ has occurred, and music industry professionals are stuck in limbo, losing more and more money each year.
In September 2009 Lily Allen started her blog, and has been seen as somewhat of an industry spokesperson on the subject of illegal file-sharing. Titled 'It's Not Alright' the blog featured other artists' thoughts on the file-sharing topic and included supportive messages from artists such as Mark Ronson, Gary Barlow of Take That and Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan. A selection of bands and artists have now joined forces to create the ‘Featured Artists Coalition’ that campaign for fair rights for bands and artists. The FAC condemn illicit file-sharing websites that give away music to make a profit, but understand the need of unpaid ‘peer-to-peer’ promotion for up and coming artists. The FAC website states,
“The focus of our objection is the proposed treatment of ordinary music fans who download a few tracks so as to check out our material before they buy. For those of us who don’t get played on the radio or mentioned in the music media – artists established and emerging – peer-to-peer recommendation is an important form of promotion.
“By demanding blanket suspension powers from the Government, the industry is in danger of cutting-off a promotional tool that is of great use to fledgling artists who seek to create a buzz around themselves yet don’t have the financial support of a major label.”
But what can be done to stop 6 million people around the world. This is not the same as the ‘Home Taping Is Killing Music’ campaign of the 80’s and should not be treated as such. Music industry bosses need to stop resisting and accept that illegal downloading is a fact of 21st-century life. Researchers that analysed the downloading of Radiohead's ‘In Rainbows’ (which was made available for free through the official website) found that the majority of fans still downloaded the music from pirate websites.
The authors of the study argue that the record companies need to find new ways to generate income from their music, rather than chasing the illegal downloader’s. For example licensing agreements with YouTube or legal peer-to-peer websites. In other words, they should do the musical equivalent of giving away free sweets and sell the advertising on the wrappers.

Artist Profile: Florence Welch

Florence Welch is undoubtedly the woman of the moment. Having performed with Dizzee Rascal at the Brit Awards she went on to collect the gong for best album with her debut ‘Lungs’. And with 700,000 copies sold, a number 1 album under her belt and hundreds of sold out shows later, Florence and her mighty machine look set to surpass their outstanding 2009 achievements already. But with such an instant rise to fame, (just 12 months ago she was virtually unknown!) can Florence deal with such a drastic change from small town artist to global pop star. We only have to open the tabloids and to discover the latest on what’s going on with Britney, or what’s landed Amy Winehouse in trouble again. The music industry can be cruel when it comes to fame, and there’s no handbook telling you how to deal with it either. How does Florence deal with the pressure?
"I'm wary of the whole fame thing. I think it has a lot of negative aspects. Obviously, you've got to be prepared for people being negative about you. Hopefully it'll make me stronger.
"I'm easily hurt. I don't think this profession is any good for my sanity! I mean, do I have to talk about my weight and my spots? I'm very critical of myself. Everything I do, my inner voice never says, ‘Well done.’ It's more like, ‘Argghh!’”
Florence definitely seems switched on to the world around her, despite her most peculiar tendencies. In the same year that Lady Gaga became the biggest pop star in the world by pretending to be weird, Florence Welch actually is completely nuts! She's a kind of mystical and magical bewildering fabrication of a person turned seven-year-old, for whom life is a constant acid trip, with a voice like a hurricane. In her own words “I can get excited by a peanut!”
Florence is definitely living it up celebrity style, and from what we can see she’s loving every minute of it, reminding us (and making us jealous) of the advantages of being famous. She said,
“I was flown out to Milan to DJ at Donatella Versace's menswear after-party and it was the most insane thing. There was a roomful of male models in the Versace villa in the middle of Milan. We put on Ray Charles’ ‘I Got A Woman’ and Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z came over. Jay-Z leant over the booth and said, ‘Yeah!’ That was the best thing”.
Showing that acknowledgements from celebs like Jay Z make even the biggest pop stars starstruck.
So, our Florence is doing just fine, she’s shown us that there are some plus sides to being famous, despite the negatives, such as the amazing showbiz parties she gets to attend, and we’re happy for her, even if we’re green with envy.

Comedy @ Bucks SU

Tuesday 9th February saw Bucks' comedy play host to BBC radio 4's Mitch Benn. Famous for his musical comedy, he was joined on stage by Joe Rowntree and compere Andrew Lawerence for the comedy central live gig. Andrew lawerence first took to the stage to warm up the eager crowd. With his weird voice and great comic timing, the red haired comedian's stand up was both shocking and hilarious in places. Next up was Joe Rowntree. Introducing himself to the audience as a Peter Andre lookalike, his performance was wacky, loud and greatly entertaining. And while a little crude in places; he got the audience giggling in their seats. Definitely a young rising star to look out for.After a short interval, we were joined again by our host Andrew Lawerence, who casually introduced us to our headline act. A popular favourite on the university circuit, and one of the best and the most sought after comedy songwriters in the country, Mitch Benn entertained the Bucks crowd with a selection of his clever songs. From the reason why he wants to adopt an ethnic baby, to a superb musical version of the hungry caterpillar, the audience were left in stitches by his enticing and enchanting melodies.Bucks comedy nights are definitely something you should witness at least once in your life. If you missed out this time, make sure you get down here next time.

Eliza Doolittle Interview

Eliza Doolittle Interview

Jo: Welcome to Bucks! What have you been up to recently?
Eliza: Um, this week we’ve been doing a little school tour, and basically it’s like, we’ve been doing 2 schools a day, and sometimes doing like more than one show in a day, then doing like gigs and clubs night, so it’s been mad. We’re really tired, but having a good time. It’s been really good fun.
J: Do you like playing to students?
E: Yeah, for sure, because it’s nice for us to play to our own age group. Because I don’t want to just have a young fan base, or an older fan base, I want to have people as well my own age I can relate to.
J: How would you describe your music?
E: I’d probably say that it is pop music, but it’s not like, cheesy s club 7 pop or anything like that. It’s real music, real pop music, like in the old school sense, like how everyone used to be in the charts, and we would call that pop music. Well that’s what I want it to be anyway! It’s very light and summery; it’s got a very spring feel about it, that’s why I’m bringing out my stuff at the beginning of summer.
J: Who do you feel has influenced you?
E: Err, I’m not quite sure, I listen to so much different stuff, so maybe it’s all subconsciously influenced me that way. I don’t know, I listened to a lot of cheesy R’n’B when I was little, I don’t know if that’s come out in my music!
J: Who is your favourite band/ artist?
E: I’ve been saying Stevie Wonder, and all the kids at school laughed at me, because he’s probably, he’s definitely one of my favourites, but I can’t really pinpoint a favourite, but yeah, I’ll say Stevie Wonder.
J: What can we expect from your show tonight?
E: Err, it’s a real busker vibe, I like to get everybody involved, and yeah just do a really catchy, really fun show.
J: So you have a single and an album coming out?
E: Yeah, my new single, Skinny Genes, is coming out March 29th and my album is going to be coming out May/ June time, it’s very exciting.
J: Do you have a tour planned?
E: I think we’re trying to book as many festivals as possible this summer, but I haven’t got anything in the diary yet.
J: Any particular festivals you’d like to play?
E: Glastonbury, Besival, and I’ve heard Latitude is really good. I really wanted to play snowbombing which is a skiing and music festival in April, but I think we were too late for that one so, oh well.
J: So where would you like to be in the next 12 months?
E: Yeah, I’d just love for the album to do well and travel round the world and do gigs everywhere and sing my songs to people in different countries. That would be my dream come true, but you know, you never know what’s going to happen.
J: And finally, what do you have on your iPod today?
E: Usually I just put it on shuffle, can I say that? I’ll check...Err; I’ve been listening to a lot of ‘The Golden Silvers’ at the moment.
J: Lovely, thanks a lot Eliza
E: Thank you!

Eliza Doolittle + Polly Mackey and the Pleasure Principal

Eliza Doolittle and Polly Mackey and the Pleasure Principle @ Bucks SU Thursday 11/02/10

Another Thursday, another band night. And tonight (11/02/10) we were joined by a quaint little pop star in the shape of Eliza Doolittle. Supported by the fantastic Polly Mackey and the Pleasure Principal, we were destined to be in for a treat from the start.
Polly and her pleasure principal were an exceptional choice for a warm up act. Formed in 2008, the band were quickly invited to perform at Texas’ famous South by South West in 2009, and have been scoring highly in critics reviews ever since. Polly describes their music as having a ‘heavier sound’; compared to her ‘old acoustic style’ she was previously known for as a soloist.
Their performance was not disappointing. Intense and fast paced, the crowd were treated to a support act that could quite literally have been the headliner. With a series of energetic and entertaining songs the crowd was perfectly warmed up and ready for the main act.
After a short wait, the crowd were eventually calling out for their pop star, willing her to come out. Eliza finally took to the stage. Wearing what can only be described as woollen polka dot crop top with a grey Adidas sports skirt and red tights, she should have been a complete fashion disaster. But with her butter-wouldn’t-melt face, and her sugary charm she somehow managed to pull it off. Her set was short and sweet, but her strong, stunning voice won over the whole crowd. With stand out tunes ‘Rollerblades’, and new single ‘Skinny Genes’ being my personal favourites, Eliza left the stage only to be called back on again to perform her encore.
The night was finished in a flash, but tonight will surely stick in a lot of people’s minds.

I'm not dead!

Hi, I don't think I've ever been more busy in my life than I am right now. But despite going into hiding, I'm definitely NOT DEAD, and I have many many treats for you.
Peace.
J x

Aladdin review

(Late, because I thought I already posted it)

It was a family occasion this Christmas as Shane Richie was joined by his 2 sons, to take part in their entertaining take on panto favourite Aladdin.
Shane, who took on the lead role, starred alongside Shane Jr and Jake as they played Aladdin’s hilarious brothers Wishee and Washee.
The panto was a huge sensation, and the first of its kind to feature fantastic 3D technology. It boasted an array of outstanding special effects that left kids leaning over in their seats and screaming their heads off. A sea of little hands could be seen grabbing at the air as they tried desperately to grab the magical genie that flew around their heads, while hiding behind their parents when a colony of bats flew at their faces.
In true pantomime style you could see just how much fun the whole cast was having as they performed. Shane was electric, interacting with the crowd, flaunting his cheeky charm, and the relationship he has with his boys is just magical. Hannah Grover played the part of Jasmine beautifully, Christopher Chilton was a fantastic Widow Twanky, and Chook Sibtain fitted in perfectly as the bad guy. But Peter Piper was undeniably the true star of the show, with his pant-wettingly funny impressions. He had the audience in stitches when he dressed up as a gorilla with himself trapped in the cage while impersonating David Attenborough, one of those things that you might have to have witnessed for yourself to understand the sheer brilliance.
The audience were also treated to the Gambat Troupe, a Mongolian Circus act that featured in between scenes, and who were stunning to watch as they performed aerial acrobatics and tests of great strength.
Popular songs were featured in the panto, ranging from High School Musical (one for the kids!) to the YMCA, which got the whole audience on their feet as the night came to a close. It was a really fantastic night, for the adults as well as the kids; it really brightened up a cold winter night.

BBC Sound of 2010

So it looks like Hereford based acoustic pop star Ellie Goulding has been tipped for the top, in the BBC's Sound of 2010 list. No surprises there, there have been rumours and speculation coming from all directions about the future success of this would be pop star.Goulding was studying drama at university when she discovered the sound that was destined to make her one of the most hotly-tipped new artists of 2010. And she is joined on the list by fellow solo artists Marina and the Diamonds, Rox and Daisy Dares you; but can we follow on from last year with another year of the solo female pop star topping the charts?Last year was undoubtedly the year of the diva. We saw breakthroughs from the likes of Little Boots, La Roux, and one of the year’s biggest stars Lady Gaga topped the charts on more than one occasion, but what can we realistically expect from 2010?There is a strong collection of bands on the list this year, in the form of electro band Delphic, who have already started to make an impact in 2009, as well as folk band Stornoway, who recently performed a blinding set at Bucks very own UniTruck festival. We have seen an increased popularity for chill out and folk music over the past few months. Who could have missed the huge support that Mumford and Sons gained over the last months of 2009, could this be the way forward for the British music scene in 2010?We could see an increase in music from the other side of the Atlantic. As 2009 was without doubt the year for the British band, maybe 2010 is the year for our trans-Atlantic rivals to show off their talent. Minnesota synthpop band Owl City has achieved chart success on the Billboard hot 100 and has also gained a coveted space on the BBC’s Sound of 2010 list. As the only American to make the list this year, his pretty debut single 'fireflies' is sure to make a mark on the charts in the near future.The BBC sound of 2010 is completed with Devlin, The Drums, Everything Everything, Giggs, Gold Panda, Hurt, Joy Orbison and Two Door Cinema all making the list. All that’s left to do now is wait and see who really does stamp their mark all over 2010. It's a hard challenge to face and only the most persistant artists will break through. Personally, my money’s on Marina, Stornoway, and of course Ellie Goulding for doing big things this year.